Networks of parallel and perpendicular lines forming squares or rectangles, used for organizing space or information. Can refer to city street layouts, electrical power networks, or coordinate systems.
From Middle English 'gredire,' possibly related to 'grate' or 'griddle,' referring to the parallel bars of cooking implements. The modern sense of systematic rectangular organization developed in the 18th century with urban planning.
Grids represent humanity's impulse to impose order on chaos - from ancient Roman city planning to modern computer screens, we constantly organize reality into neat rectangular patterns. It's remarkable how this simple geometric concept underlies everything from spreadsheets to power distribution.
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